When Rurik arrived at the river dock, Arik had already taken people off the boat.
Kartenaka, the elderly leader of the Vips, determined the size of the Great Lake for the first time. She was on the south bank of the lake and entered a large river with a boat. She saw the towering walls along the river and the endless water world in the west. She saw it for the first time.
If you go to a walled city, it would be difficult to believe that it is a human residence unless there are a large number of people living there.
She got off the boat with anxiety and curiosity, and felt uneasy when she stepped on the solid ground.
Many blond women gathered around, many people wearing headscarves, and even many children running around laughing and joking to join in the fun.
This is the home of the Rus? Not all of them are strong warriors, but there are also a large number of women and children.
Kartenaka felt that he had lived for sixty years, but he did not know that such a powerful ethnic group existed in the south of the Great Lakes. If you look carefully, they are not that scary.
The female leader knew nothing about the life of the Rus people. She immediately tried to get some news from Taravis, and then she tightened her grip on the young man's arm.
Terravis could feel the old lady's fear: "It's my first time meeting the Russians...the city of the Russians. It's normal for you to be afraid."
"I want to see your leader and have a good chat with him."
"Be careful, our young leader is here. Don't be afraid, the leader is a good young man."
A young leader? Maybe he is an outstanding young talent. If the leader of Ross is really a good person, and the Vips can be their servants in the future, their lives will be as stable as in the past. One of the main purposes of her coming is
Ask the ruler of Rus how much peace and stability is worth.
The group of them waited near the shore first, and more and more people came to watch. The Ross soldiers who came back early were already chatting and laughing with the brothers stationed there.
The net bag hung by the human-powered crane at the dock has been extended to the parked ship. Onlookers saw that a large amount of bundled leather was taken out of the cabin, thrown into the net bag and quickly landed on the shore.
It was all made of high-quality leather, and the long and plush tail proved that it was a bundle of fox skins.
The onlookers' eyes were wide-eyed, and their minds were controlled by reason. Everyone simply envied Arik's victorious armed reconnaissance. No one dared to step forward to rob it. There was a buzz at the pier, and the onlookers were whispering to each other. Some people claimed that Arik had brought his brothers.
A great victory had been achieved, and even more exaggerated claims were being circulated that the Karelians had been directly defeated by the brave Arik.
Karelia was defeated, only partially.
Arik and Jevlo met, and they bumped into each other.
Yevro was still leaning on a piece of cloth with his forehead tied. He shook his black hair and said happily: "Haha, some brothers speculated that you have won. I saw your large captures, and the Karelia people have failed.
."
"They failed and I destroyed their sacrificial center."
"Oh? There is such a feat?" Yevluo was surprised. To be honest, he was envious of such a victory and wished he could complete this feat himself.
"That's right. We also made major seizures and discovered new servants." Arik twisted his neck and motioned for his men to push the female leader of the Vips over.
The old lady was leaning on a cane. She glanced at a black-haired warrior cautiously, and an inexplicable sense of intimacy arose spontaneously.
"Is it her?" Jevro asked.
"That's her, the leader of the Veps. My friend, I remember you are a Suomi, maybe you know."
Jevro shrugged: "You also know that I was kidnapped by the Danes when I was a child. I am a Suomi, but... whatever..."
Although Jevro did not know the Vips, the latter knew the name of the Suomi people.
The Suomi people were dissatisfied with Karelia, and the two sides had always fought. Kartenaka took the initiative to ask, and Javlo immediately responded in ancient Finnish. There was no communication between the Vips and the Suomi people. Since the Karelia people
It is a common enemy for both parties, and both parties have prerequisites for cooperation.
Jevro did not hesitate to make his status among the Suomi people clear. He was a top Suomi noble, a subordinate of Duke Ross, and a close comrade-in-arms.
This explanation immediately calmed the anxiety of the female leader.
But things really made Yevlo feel strange. This was not the discovery of the Vips. He approached Arik and asked with a malicious smile: "People say that you are a decisive person in killing, but you didn't wipe out the entire Vips."
Si tribe. You can obviously do it!"
"Yes. However, their women are too enthusiastic, and their men are also loyal dogs. I am not stupid enough to attack the servants." Arik spoke with an awkward smile, and Jevro guessed that the matter was not that simple.
Telavis, who knew the whole story well, simply did not participate in the chat between the two. He raised his head and looked along the sudden commotion in the crowd, and saw Rurik himself arriving.
"It's the Duke, he's here!"
Rurik arrived. The young Duke's rolled-up sleeves were covered with dust, his forehead was covered with sweat, and the clothes on his body were still mixed with a lot of wheatgrass and bran.
The noble Duke personally participated in the autumn harvest. The conquered Slavs who settled in New Roseburg naturally felt that this was a close relationship with the people. Many people who were originally from the bottom of the Rus tribe also felt that Rurik cared about everyone the most, but many people still thought that
A noble duke should not engage in these menial jobs. A noble man must be pampered.
Indeed, the emperor of Zhou must also act in accordance with the ritual and music system. Even if some actions can be said to be close to the people and considerate of the lower nobles, the emperor has an honor that cannot be desecrated, and doing these things is a self-denial of that honor.
Rurik did not want to isolate himself from the people. When the principality was founded, there were many obstacles to be solved, and even if it was just a show, he had to show it off in front of the people.
Rurik was indeed putting on a show, but in fact, he also had a reason to kill boredom.
He held up a wooden flail and pounded the stacked oat straws. Only by pounding continuously could the oat grains wrapped in the bark of the bent wheat ears be broken out. This is the characteristic of European husked oats.
If you want to eat new wheat, you have to work hard to thresh it first.
When she met the supreme leader of the Rus people for the first time, Kartenaka couldn't believe that the leader was actually the young man in front of her.
Arik chatted happily with his brother. First, he briefly described his conquest of the Vips and the attack on the Karelian Bear Altar. These things were discussed in great detail. The gray-haired old lady in front of him immediately attracted Rurik's attention.
.
The dock is indeed not a place for discussion.
Rurik was surprised that his brother was actually soft-hearted now. No matter how soft-hearted he was, Rus had an additional tribe of servants, which did not contribute to the beauty of the principality.
Kartenaka was allowed to enter the walls of New Roseburg. She looked around and saw a large number of wooden houses, flat roads, and a particularly spacious piece of land!
Harvest Plaza is not big, but it is not small either.
Rurik designated an area nearly the size of a standard football field, which should be paved with stone floors or even a layer of cement to make it extremely flat.
The actual conditions were that he could not complete this feat within a few years, but the entire site was pounded and the soft soil was pounded hard, making it an unprecedented threshing floor.
This is Harvest Square, where thousands of people thresh grains. In the future, New Roseburg’s oats will be threshed and even dried here.
Kartenaka knew about wheat, and when she was on the boat, she saw acres of farmland near the river. Unfortunately, the Vips did not have the ability to farm, so they could only live by raising deer, hunting, and fishing.
She is the literal meaning of Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden. A Nordic city continues to rise. The current scale of the city deeply shocked a female chief of a forest tribe.
She has already made her own judgment: the Russians are far better than the Karelians.
A huge wooden house lies in front of you. It is said that this is the place where the Russians discuss important matters?
The Karelia people also have similar buildings, but obviously the Russians are superior in terms of scale and structure.
The Duke's Palace in New Rossburg and the Ross Duma were built too generously, but that's fine. Standing under the massive building, individual people will feel their own insignificance and naturally have a sense of awe.
Rurik actually wants to build taller buildings, not only his own palace and the Ross Duma, which serves as the parliamentary court. As New Rossburg continues to develop, the shipping business here will become more and more developed, so it will be necessary
The particularly tall tower head is not only used as a lookout, but also has to be set up with an oil pan and lit at night to serve as a lighthouse.
Urban construction still needs to be done. The Harvest Square needs to be paved with cement floors and the wooden city walls should give way to solid stone. This is still work in the future.
Who are the Veps?
Rurik wiped his face and washed his hair, changed his clothes, dressed in jewelry, gold ornaments, and noble furs, and met his returning cousin and the female leader of the Vips.
Ross Dumane, the generals of the Ross army are all here.
With so many tough people present, Kartenaka was uneasy and trembling all over.
Rurik was not in a hurry to talk to the old woman, because everyone urgently needed to hear the report on the results of Arik's armed investigation.
This was a wonderful report, and Arik's words also directly explained why there were so few people and ships returning. He really implemented the consistent style of the Principality of Ross, and controlled the new areas it conquered, thus developing into a new
's territory.
The name Bear Altar no longer exists. Her Norse name is Bjornvistad, which means the Bear Festival Town. According to the Slavs, it is Medvetramskoye.
The meaning of the settlement has not changed. Since it is a place for bear sacrifice, the Russians can also follow suit.
However, the Rus would sacrifice bears to Odin there.
Everyone reached a consensus in an instant. Rurik couldn't restrain the joy in his heart and praised: "Brother, your victory is too insulting to them, so they will definitely attack in groups."
Arik smiled very proudly: "Isn't this what we all want? A decisive battle with the Karelians, so that your heavy weapons can be used."
The generals are gearing up, and the decisive battle they all dream of seems to be close at hand.
Three hundred brothers were stranded at the Bear Altar to build the Bear Sacrifice Town and explore the surrounding environment. No one thought they would be in danger. If the enemy couldn't stand the humiliation and suddenly invaded the border with a large army, the remaining troops could only take a boat and avoid it for the time being.
Arik reported a very interesting piece of information, that is, the Karelian people's water power is indeed poor, they are just some canoes, which are not qualified as fishing boats, so how can we talk about water warfare? The Russians have the advantage of boats, which can be said to be true
You can advance, you can attack, you can retreat, you can defend.
However, the actual situation was more favorable to the Russian army. Regarding a waterway leading to an inland lake, the remaining troops only became aware of it after being attacked by Karelian scouts. Arik did not know about this.
The biggest result of the attack on the Bear Altar was the capture of an astonishing number of deer. A batch of deer were given to the Vips who led the way and participated in the battle. Rurik was very satisfied with his cousin's approach.
How many deer are there? Three thousand?!
The army stationed at the Bear Altar still has 3,000 deer?!
When this number was brought out, Rurik and others were shocked, and then fell into ecstasy.
"Brother, I am not greedy. The high-quality leather and most of the deer are yours." Arik said in front of everyone.
Arik himself didn't care, but his words really made Rurik a little embarrassed. Although the monarch has the right to get the most spoils, but...
The cousin also had good intentions. Rurik raised his head and corrected him loudly: "This is not just mine, it belongs to the Principality of Rus. Just like the central granary in the city, it is the food for all of us! It was Odin who gave me the qualification to come.
Managing our wealth.”
Arik shrugged: "As you wish. Brother, this is my experience. The brothers who stayed behind are still waiting for the army to arrive. Now, about the female leader of Vips."
The topic has changed and Rurik no longer hesitates.
Although she is an old lady, since she is the female leader of Vips, she has obtained a formal relationship of submission. As the monarch, Ryuri should maintain her inviolable dignity.
"Someone let her kneel down in front of me!" Rurik ordered.
After a moment, Kartenaka, who put down her crutches, knelt down and stated her servant's intention in her own language.
Everything was just a formality until now. Rurik already regarded the Vips as his new servant force. However, he was also surprised when he asked about their population.
Only six or seven hundred people? That’s all?!
This kind of micro-tribe can only develop stably by relying on the strong, but this kind of surrender will not be very loyal. They clearly follow the strong, which is actually the wisdom of a small tribe to survive.
But they were really smart. Knowing that they could not defeat the Russian army, they surrendered instantly and used various means to serve the new conquerors.
Are they born slaves?
Not necessarily. If used well, they will be an excellent servant army and an excellent labor force. Since they have seen the power of the Russian army, they do not need the "big stick" and can use some "carrots".
Kartenaka was favored by Rurik to sit down, and the old lady immediately sat down on a deerskin cushion.
After all, she is an old lady whose days are numbered. No matter how stubborn she is, the chance of her life extending for another ten years is slim. The Vips people should have a new leader, or a lord.
Who is suitable to be the lord of the Vips? The answer is already clear.
Rurik motioned to Terravis to come to the stage and ask him to sit down.
"Taravis, your destiny is that you will not be able to inherit the leader of the Gray Squirrel tribe, let alone be the governor of Ironburg. Saipolava's son will inherit these titles." Rurik deliberately explained these things, and this matter is very important.
Lavis already knew that.
Rurik changed the subject: "I just heard that the granddaughter of the leader of the Vips is already your woman. Is she a very good woman? Very good! You will be the leader of the Vips, and your heirs will be hereditary. You
, do you have any other requirements? If there are, I will try my best to meet them."
Things were a little sudden, and after a second thought, Terravis thought that this might be the best destination for him.
He is not stupid and knows that he cannot make undue demands, but there are some things that he does not say out loud because he feels really uncomfortable.
Ask yourself, he was the one who persuaded Aric not to kill first and then tell the story later. It was he who persuaded the Vips to surrender with his words. Now he himself is the hereditary leader of the Vips. It is really a good thing. There are some things that Tyravis hides in his heart.
Rurik would never be told that he was secretly happy with this arrangement.
There was only one request. He hesitated and said: "The suffix of Orava must be added to the name. Vips must add the suffix of Orava."
Rurik found it interesting when he heard it and said with a smile: "You still can't forget the squirrel Vipsarava. That's fine, it's up to you."
"Your Majesty the Duke is wise!"
"Very good! Then when we wipe out Karelia, we will have to live in Vips." Rurik turned around and asked the female leader: "You can basically understand the language I speak, and I can also guess it.
Many of your customs. Do you have any objections to him being your new leader?"
Kartenaka was extremely excited: "I do! Taravis is the best boy."
"Very good. From now on, Taravis will be the hereditary leader, Count Vips, and his descendants will be hereditary."
It was great that everyone had no objections to the arrangement of Terravis in this way. Rurik was secretly happy that he had solved a potential trouble. Terravis, the Coven man, still became the noble leader of another tribe, so he would not be in trouble in the future.
Coveting the status of his sister's heirs, Terravis will cut off the Corvin people and lead the Vips people to develop quietly on the west coast of the great lake.
The Vips have surrendered, and the new nobles have completed their canonization. The Principality of Ross has the obligation to ensure the safety of the Vips. Rurik has sworn that he will not bully all the Vips, and the other party has the right to come to New Ross Fort in accordance with the rules of the Principality of Ross.
Ayutthaya trade, just like the rights enjoyed by other subjects.
So, what's the cost?
The price is that when the Duke summons an army to carry out a war, the Vips should send troops to join the war. The Vips should also pay tribute every year. Due to their population size, Rurik decided to refer to the rules previously set for the Kovin people to ask for tribute. That is, every year
Twenty young deer and a thousand squirrel skins are gone.
With the current production efficiency of the Vips, Rurik could not imagine what more wealth they could provide. This scale of tribute would continue for many years, and taxes would be raised when the population expanded.
Is that just that? Kartenaka was quite surprised. Did the Russians not ask for slaves?
Since the young leader of the Ross people only had this request, she was afraid that her stupid question would arouse the other party's greed, so she simply agreed and did not dare to ask anything else.
Rurik indeed has no intention of asking for slaves from the Vips, and even such "talking animals" almost do not exist in the Principality of Rus in the current era. Rurik strives to rule all conquered people in a harmonious way
Tribes get benefits through regular taxes and tributes, and through gifts and sales of advanced production and living tools, they can obtain more tax revenue in the future. The so-called development problem should be solved through development, and forcing the surrendered into slavery is generally rational.
This is fishing for nothing. Rurik does not want to force out a Khmelnytsky.
The appearance of the Vips was purely an accident, and they should be rewarded for leading the way.
The old lady Kartenaka was dressed in rags. She was also a female leader after all. Rurik gave her a beautiful Slavic-style patterned gown and a well-sewn white fox fur hat.
These rewards and the "very small" share of tribute were due to the greed of the former Karelia chiefs, and the young Duke of Rus was the good guy.
In the court of the Rus Duma, the old lady was so moved that she secretly shed tears. She saw the majestic city, a large number of ships, an astonishing number of brave warriors, and the declaration of the Duke of Rus. She was convinced that she was about to witness Karelia.
With the destruction of Ah, the days of peace for the Vips will also come. As for the tributes, they are nothing compared to what the Vips can get.